Larry Walters
| Larry Walters | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lawrence Richard Walters April 19, 1949 Los Angeles, California |
| Died | October 6, 1993 (aged 44) Angeles National Forest |
| Other names | Lawnchair Larry, Lawn Chair Pilot |
| Occupation | Truck driver, security guard |
| Known for | Flying a lawn chair with weather balloons |
Lawrence "Larry" Richard Walters (April 19, 1949 – October 6, 1993), nicknamed "Lawnchair Larry" or the "Lawn Chair Pilot", was an American truck driver who took flight on July 2, 1982, in a homemade airship. Dubbed Inspiration I, the "flying machine" consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it. Walters rose to an altitude of over 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and floated from his point of origin in San Pedro, California, into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport. His flight was widely reported.
Walters had often dreamed of flying, but was unable to become a pilot in the United States Air Force because of his poor eyesight. He first thought of using weather balloons to fly at age 13 and 14, after seeing them hanging from the ceiling of a military surplus store. Twenty years later, he decided to try it. His intention was to float over the Mojave Desert and then use a pellet gun to burst balloons to gracefully float to the ground.
In mid-1982, Walters and his girlfriend, Carol Van Deusen, purchased 45 eight-foot weather balloons and obtained helium tanks from California Toy Time Balloons. They used a forged requisition from his employer, FilmFair Studios, saying the balloons were for a television commercial. Walters attached the balloons to his lawn chair, filled them with helium, put on a parachute, and strapped himself into the chair in the backyard of a home at 1633 W. 7th St. in San Pedro. He took his pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches, beer, and a camera. When his friends cut the cord that tied his lawn chair to his Jeep, Walters's lawn chair rose rapidly to a height of about 16,000 feet (4,900 m) and was spotted from two commercial airliners. At first, he did not dare shoot any balloons, fearing that he might unbalance the load and cause himself to fall out. He slowly drifted over Long Beach and crossed the primary approach corridor of Long Beach Airport.
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Wikipedia